


Freudian Fic

by zorac



Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: Gen, International Fanworks Day 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22734787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zorac/pseuds/zorac
Summary: All theSex Educationfanfic on AO3 seems to have made its way inside the world of the show. Someone should probably be asking how that happened, but instead everyone has some more personal questions — and, as usual, they expect Otis to have all the answers.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Freudian Fic

**Author's Note:**

> I always try to write something in a new fandom for International Fanworks Day, and this year's prompt of characters discovering fanfic about themselves seemed like a fun fit for _Sex Ed_.
> 
> Set just after Season 2, Episode 2 (because that's as far as I'd watched when I started writing it...)

“Have you heard?” asks Eric.

“Heard what?” I say.

“That there are stories about us,” he gestures vaguely around at the school, “all of us, on some website.”

“What website? And why would people be writing stories about us?”

“It’s not just stories,” interjects Lily, who clearly overheard our conversation, “it’s fanfic. For a TV show that doesn’t exist.” She looks entirely too excited by this prospect.

“You do realise that what you just said makes _no_ sense at all?”

“I know! But there are literally hundreds of stories on the _Archive of our Own_ about a Netflix show called _Sex Education_ , which features a teenage boy called Otis who runs a sex clinic at his school. Sound familiar?”

“So… it’s actually about me, then?” I ask.

“Get _over_ yourself, Otis,” says Eric. “We’re all in it. You, me, Lily, Maeve, Adam, Rahim, Ola, Aimee, Jackson…”

“And apparently, your mum is played by Gillian Anderson on the show, so there are lots of cross-overs with _The X-Files_ , including some where I get abducted by aliens,” adds Lily, excitedly. “Sex aliens.” That went without saying, really.

I look around, in the hopes of someone who can rescue me from this conversation. “Maeve! Good morning!” She gives me a strange look.

“You need to get moving. You’ve got two appointments before school starts, and you’re already fully booked for lunchtime. People have been reading stuff about themselves online or something.” Oh, great. “Usual place. Go on,” she says when I don’t start moving straight away.

Sighing, I trudge in the direction of the abandoned toilet block for my pre-school clinic session.

* * *

“You know about the stories, right? In one of them, me and my girlfriend have anal sex, and I’m like, gross! What do I do if she reads it too, and expects me to do that in real life? ’Cause I really don’t want to, but she’s always going on about how great her arse is, and how I should admire it more…”

“You should never have to do anything in bed that you don’t want to, and if anyone tries to pressure you into it, then that’s a big red flag. If your girlfriend _does_ bring it up, then tell her that reading the story was a huge turn-off for you, and it’s something you’d never do in real life. Hopefully, she’ll respect that, and if she doesn’t, then you should really think about whether you want to stay with her.”

* * *

“So, I read this story, right, about my best friend and me, except that we were girlfriends, and we had lots of sex, and it was really hot, and afterwards I had to… Anyway, I’ve always known she likes girls, but she’s never hit on me or anything. Except, when I told her about reading the story, she asked if I wanted to… and then I ran away, but I actually kinda _do_ , so… am I gay now?”

“That’s not something I can answer for you, but one of the meanings for the Q in LGBTQIA+ is ‘questioning’. That seems like a good place to start, and you can decide later whether you want to identify as a lesbian, bi, pan… or even straight. There’s no rush to pick a label, but maybe this friend can help you start to figure it out. Just, be honest with her, let her know that you’re confused, or unsure. Don’t make any commitments you might not be able to keep; that’s how people get hurt.”

* * *

It’s not until morning break that I get to see Ola, and there’s something in her eyes that makes me stumble. “Have you seen any of these stories that are going around?” she asks.

“No, but both of my clinic sessions this morning were about them,” I say, trying to play it light. It’s the wrong move.

Ola’s eyes narrow. “About that. So, a lot of those stories seem to feature you and Maeve. Together. As a couple. Or just fucking, which I could have done without knowing. Why do you think that could be?”

“Well,” I bluster, “from my understanding, the stories are fanfic of… something. Those stories are frequently about things the writer wanted to happen in the source material, but _didn’t_.”

“I know that, but for Maeve/Otis to be such a popular ship in that fandom suggests that there’s more to it than that.”

“I really don’t know what you want me to say.”

“The truth?” I can see that she isn’t going to let this go.

“Fine. Yes, I had a crush on Maeve, but she made it _extremely_ clear that she wasn’t interested, so nothing ever happened. I got over it, and then I meet you. I like _you_.”

There’s the beginnings of a smile on Ola’s face, but then she asks, “and if it turned out that she was just too scared to tell you how she really felt?”

“I…” It’s like the very idea of Maeve liking me short-circuits something in my brain, and I can’t seem to finish the sentence, to reassure Ola that it wouldn’t change a thing.

Because it _would_.

Ola clearly sees it, too. “That’s what I thought,” she says, then turns, and walk away.

I know I should call – or chase – after her, but I don’t do a damn thing.

Bloody fanfic.


End file.
